Matthew Nelson
A GPS navigation satellite built by Lockheed Martin has been installed atop United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4 rocket prior to its scheduled takeoff on Aug. 22, Spaceflight Now reported Friday.
After completing its final tests at Astrotech’s processing facility in Florida, the GPS 3 SV02 Magellan satellite was delivered via an over-the-road transport platform to Cape Canaveral. ULA then lifted the satellite from the rocket’s payload fairing to proceed to the launch’s final phase.
Delta 4 will use two strap-on solid rocket boosters to deploy Magellan to its target orbit over 12K miles above the Earth’s surface.
Recently, ULA moved the rocket’s launch from its initial schedule of July 25, intending to eliminate any potential faults in the upper stage after a part exhibited unusual voltage during a ground demonstration at the component’s manufacturer.
The company is slated to replace the Delta 4-Medium rocket with the Atlas 5 launcher after the former’s final mission.
